1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle-use data processing system which includes an information center and an on-vehicle terminal device and which uses data transmitted from the information center, particularly to a system in which a user can easily register registration point information as customized information. The invention can be suitably applied to a vehicle navigation device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Navigation devices for vehicles are now common. In such navigation devices, ordinarily a map indicating road configuration or topography is displayed. It is also common that marks indicating positions of various facilities are displayed on the map and that a list of the facilities is displayed separately from the map. For example, the various facilities may include gas stations, shops, convenience stores, restaurants, accommodations, public facilities, buildings, or the like. The presentation of such facility information is convenient function of such a navigation device.
For example, a navigation system having the function of indicating facilities is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 138193/1996, in which a navigation terminal mounted on a vehicle transmits a present position and a facility classification to a host station. The host station returns to the vehicle the information of the facility which exists around the present position and belongs to the facility classification. In the vehicle, the facility information is displayed.
Furthermore, a recently known navigation device is provided with a function in which a user pre-registers the information of the facility at a desired point at his disposal and this facility information is displayed. The function in which the user registers the desired point is called a point registration function. The user inputs a desired point into the navigation device. In this case, on a display, flags or other default marks are displayed on a map as shown in FIG. 1. Furthermore, the user can change the mark to a mark indicating the classification of the facility, e.g., a coffee cup symbol can be used to indicate a cafe. The user can also enter the name and telephone number of the facility by operating switches. Moreover, the position of the mark can be adjusted by moving the mark. Additionally, an alarm can be set to sound when the vehicle nears the registered point. The input information is stored in the navigation device as registration point information. The user can optionally allow the registration point information to be displayed on the display.
By using the point registration function, the user can register facilities according to his discretion and can conveniently customize or personalize the navigation device.
However, the task of placing a mark indicating the facility classification and entering the facility name, telephone number and another information is very laborious for the user, with the task of entering a facility name using Chinese characters being especially laborious.
Furthermore, in the conventional point registration function, it is difficult to update the registered information. For example, a facility registered as a restaurant may change to a cafe or may move to another location. To update the information on the side of the vehicle in accordance with the change of the facility, the user must input new information into the device. However, it is not easy for the user to obtain the information concerning the facility change. Even if the information can be obtained, such updating work is very laborious for the user.
To make such a navigation device more convenient, it is desirous that more detailed and rich information be presented to the user in addition to the facility location and name. In the known art, however, only the user's input information is stored as the registration point information in the navigation device. Therefore, there remains a strong demand that detailed and rich information be included in the registration point information.